Allow candidates to take competitive exams in regional languages, Telangana Minister KTR urges Centre

The Siricilla MLA said that allowing applicants to write competitive exams in their respective languages will provide an equal and fair opportunity to the candidates from all the states.

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New Delhi: KT Rama Rao, also known as KTR, on Sunday (July 18, 2021) urged the Centre to allow candidates to write in regional languages in the competitive exams. 

In a letter to Union Minister Jitendra Singh, the Telangana Minister said that every year, many candidates from different states appear for competitive exams for recruitment in central services, departments and undertakings through the Union Public Service Commission and other recruitment agencies. 

"However, these competitive exams are held in only English and Hindi, which was a serious disadvantage to students who did not study in English medium or not from Hindi speaking states," he wrote.

"Allowing applicants to write competitive exams in their respective languages will provide an equal and fair opportunity to the candidates from all the states," the Siricilla MLA said.

KTR, who is also the Information Technology Minister, pointed out that the Union Cabinet had approved the proposal to set up a National Recruitment Agency which had decided to facilitate a Common Eligibility Test (NRA-CET) to replace multiple examinations for recruitment to Central government jobs and conduct these examinations in 12 Indian languages. He wrote that while he wholeheartedly welcomed the move, it was very unfortunate to note that these changes are not being implemented properly.

"For instance, in a recent job notification ie Constables (GD) in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), NIA, SSF and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles Examination, 2021- candidates are allowed to write the exam only in Hindi or English. The same is the case with a few other employment notifications in the recent past. This comes as a rude shock to applicants belonging to regional languages, who are forced to lose great opportunities," KTR stated. 

He urged Jitendra Singh to look into this issue and permit candidates taking all competitive exams of the Centre, its departments and undertakings held through the UPSC, the RRB, the PSBs, the RBI, the SSC, etc to write in regional languages also.

KTR also demanded the Centre to withhold the recruitment process for the notifications already issued and refrain from issuing new job notifications until a proper implementation policy is decided on this regional languages issue.

Earlier, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting to permit candidates taking all competitive exams of the Centre to write in regional languages.

(With agency inputs)